


Flowering Flattery

by jimingyu



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Complete, M/M, Rated T for swearing, This is so soft, florist hao!, hao is a whole softie, not even fluff just SOFT, stressed high school student soonyoung!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-16 08:37:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13050411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jimingyu/pseuds/jimingyu
Summary: Soonyoung just needs to replace this vase that he broke, but some woman bought all ten that the flower shop ordered. Who does that? Myungho certainly doesn't mind, though. (Neither does Soonyoung).





	Flowering Flattery

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> hello! this story is for my lovely friend rose aka kwancitos on twt! i hope you like it, rose! it's based on my own tattoos, so it's a little more tattoo-based than i thought it would be, but the idea is still present! enjoy! 
> 
> ~ cj

~

 

          **_Sunday_**

     Soonyoung couldn’t catch a break.

Once again, his blurry, sleep-ridden mind had come to the conclusion that he didn’t need glasses in order to get up and turn on the coffee pot. It was a simple task- the only hard part was making it down the stairs - and he didn’t need to go to the trouble of cleaning off his glasses to do it.

As usual, his blurry, sleepy mind was _wrong_.

He made it down the stairs, and through the living room just fine- the furniture in his house hadn’t moved in his eighteen years of existence, so he could weave through it blind. The kitchen and dining room, however, was newly remodeled, and Soonyoung wasn’t nearly as used to it. Moreover, Soonyoung’s mother had an affinity for vases, dried flowers, and glass collectables. Usually, all of these things were in a giant China cabinet in the dining room, but his mother hadn’t gotten around to putting them all away yet, so they were splayed out on the kitchen counter.

That was a big mistake on his mother’s part, but also Soonyoung was the reason she hadn’t been able to tend to her collection yet: he was going through the process of applying to colleges, and it was painstaking, and required much of his mother’s help. Soonyoung was eternally grateful to her, but this was not the best way to show his thanks.

As his feet touched the cold linoleum, Soonyoung grasped onto the countertop to feel his way to the coffee pot instead of opening his sleep-clouded eyes. It seemed like a pretty foolproof plan. That is, until his hand grazed over a vase and it tumbled to the floor with a resounding thunk.

Soonyoung’s eyes shot open, and he could vaguely make out the still-intact porcelain vase.

“ _Oh_ , thank god.” he mumbled, bending down to retrieve the vase.

It shattered in his hands.

“Of _fucking_ course.”

 

~

 

Soonyoung spent about fifteen minutes waiting for the coffee to brew, and _cleaned his damn glasses_ before coming back to the mess in the kitchen.

“All right, it’s the white vase that mom bought from that little flower shop where Mingyu works. It probably doesn’t have any sentimental value since she _just_ bought it, so it should be easy to replace.” he mumbled to himself while cleaning up the mess. His mother had breakfast with her friends every other Sunday, so she wouldn’t be home until later in the day. That gave him plenty of time to go to the flower shop and get another vase. Soonyoung poured his coffee into a travel mug, grabbed his wallet and keys, and headed out.

 

~

 

“Hey, Mingyu! Do you work today?” the panic in Soonyoung’s voice was probably very evident, but he didn’t care. Mingyu was his best friend, and though he was big and clumsy, he was a very gentle person, and would never judge Soonyoung for being panicked.

“Hey, Soon. No, today’s my day off. Did you need something? I can come in if you need me to.” Mingyu’s voice sounded tired, and Soonyoung felt bad for waking him up at 8:30a.m., but he would apologize later. “Oh, no, you don’t have to do that! I do have a question though.” He heard Mingyu shuffle under his sheets. “Whatcha need?” he asked.

“Do you remember that white vase my mom bought in at the shop a couple weeks ago?”

“Yeah, why?” Mingyu sounded much more awake now, and Soonyoung could tell that he was worried for the vase.

“Well, you see-”

“Soon, don’t tell me the whole story; just tell me that you broke it.” Soonyoung sighed.

“I broke it.”

“That’s what I thought. I assume you’re on your way there now?” Soonyoung nodded, but realized that Mingyu couldn’t see him. The other boy just kept talking, knowing his best friend’s response. “Myungho should be getting there soon. I unloaded a couple boxes of those vases Friday evening, but I can’t guarantee there’s any left. You’ll have to wait until sometime this week if there’s none left.” Again, Soonyoung sighed and thanked his friend quickly before hanging up.

He could only hope that the flower shop had at least one vase left.

 

~

 

Soonyoung arrived at the flower shop at 8:52 and visibly pouted when he saw the bold-lettered “ **CLOSED** ” sign on the door.

The flower shop- appropriately named “ _Smile_ _Flower_ ” -was closed until 9:00 on Sundays, which was early for a flower shop, but not early enough for Soonyoung. A beat up, green Volkswagen pulled up next to him, and Soonyoung craned his neck to see the tall, boyish frame stepping out of it, swinging a ring of keys around his middle finger, and whistling joyfully.

The boy turned towards Soonyoung and smiled, waving slightly, and Soonyoung wanted to sink into his seat.

“ _Holy_ _shit_.” Soonyoung hissed through his teeth as he forced a small smile at the boy- no, _beauty_.

The boy was _stunning_ , all long limbs, tanned skin, and soft features. Soonyoung squeezed the steering wheel in front of him, and tried so hard not to stare at the boy’s long legs as he walked past his car, and the way his fingers flinched at the cold when they made their way out of his sleeves. The door unlocked, and the boy reached one arm in to flick a couple of switches on the wall, and turned back towards Soonyoung.

Oh, fuck.

He’s coming towards Soonyoung.

He’s knocking on the window.

Soonyoung had always commended himself for is cool attitude, and his ability to maintain it in stressful situations. Now, his cool exterior was melting, and he could feel the impending doom seeping from his pores. Embarrassment was on its way.

Soonyoung rolled down the driver’s side window, and the boy grinned softly, but looked a bit worried as well. Soonyoung’s heart lodged itself in his throat.

“Hello, there! My name is Myungho. I was just wondering if you’re okay? You look a little dazed.” The boy’s- Myungho -voice was gentle and smooth, but had an accent hidden underneath the slight lisp. His Korean sounded fluent, but not as sure as Soonyoung was used to. Myungho’s voice was different, but that didn’t stop Soonyoung from wanting to hear it over and over again.

Once he came back to his senses, Soonyoung glanced at the clock on his dashboard, saw that it was 8:58, and smiled widely at Myungho. “I’m fine! Thank you for worrying though,” he tried to slow down his speech, but the nervousness he felt only made him speak faster. “I was just waiting for _Smile Flower_ to open. Do you work there?” Soonyoung knew the answer, but he really just wanted to hear Myungho’s voice again.

“Yes, I do! I was just getting ready to open up if you’d like to come in.” Myungho’s cheeks were turning pink from the cold, and Soonyoung took a moment to notice that his smile stretched all the way to the pointed tips of his ears. Soonyoung rolled up his window, turned the car off, and followed Myungho into the little shop.

The outside bricks were mirrored inside the shop, and were painted a light shade of yellow. Baskets of flowers hung from cords running across the ceiling, sat in pots on long tables, and covered the floors as well. Beside the front desk was a wall filled by shelves of vases, pots, soil, and all sorts of gardening equipment Soonyoung didn’t even know existed. Myungho disappeared into a door behind the desk, and reentered with a pastel pink apron covering his chest, and a nametag that read “명호” as well as “明浩”.

“Are you Chinese?” Soonyoung asks. Myungho looks up from where he’s securing the apron at his back, and laughs softly at Soonyoung’s blunt question. “Yep! I go to school here though. My Korean is pretty good, but I don’t know everything, so if you would like to insult me, please do it formally.” Myungho laughs again, and Soonyoung joins him this time, watching the way his eyes scrunch up when he smiles.

“What’s your Chinese name?” Soonyoung asks, leaning against the desk to watch as Myungho turns a couples of knobs, and an airy voice sings over the speakers. “Xu Minghao.” he responds, and Soonyoung finds himself mumbling the sounds after him. Myungho looks at him from under his eyelashes and smiles.

“Feels odd, doesn’t it? Your tongue isn’t used to making those sounds.” Soonyoung blushes because he knows he just butchered Myungho’s name with his lazy Korean tongue, but also because Myungho is still looking at him and smiling.

“So, now that you know both of my names; would you tell me yours?”

“Soonyoung. Kwon Soonyoung.” Myungho lets the name roll off of his tongue, and his features blossom into what Soonyoung believes is simply lovely.

 

~

 

“I’m really sorry, Soonyoung, but those vases came in boxes of five, we only ordered two boxes, and a woman came in yesterday and bought all ten of them! Seriously, who needs ten vases all at once?” Myungho was carefully assembling a small bouquet of peonies and baby’s breath. Soonyoung watched his slender fingers twist the flowers around each other, and somehow come together beautifully.

“That company has very sporadic delivery times, and they aren’t always exact, so I couldn’t tell you when our next shipment will be in,” Myungho plucks a dying petal from one of the peonies and sets it on the counter. “I know this may be really inconvenient for you, Soonyoung, but I think it would be best to stop in here whenever you’re able to this week. Even if that woman comes back, I’ll hold a vase back for you.” Myungho’s voice seemed to smile with him as he held out a peony in full bloom. Soonyoung couldn’t help the smile that spread across his features as Myungho handed the flower over to him.

“ _Live happily_ ,” Myungho mumbled. Soonyoung crooked an eyebrow at him, and saw that the smile never left Myungho’s face. “Peonies represent a happy life. Here, look,” Myungho then rolled up the sleeve of his button-down shirt, and all the air in Soonyoung’s lungs exited very quickly.

Weaving up and around Myungho’s forearm was the most beautiful bouquet Soonyoung had ever seen, and it was inked into Myungho’s skin. Myungho pointed to a light pink peony near the crook of his elbow, and dragged his fingers over the words “ _live happily_ ” written in English, which formed the stem of the flower.

Soonyoung was in awe.

Myungho poked Soonyoung once between the eyes, and giggled- _fucking giggled -_ before saying, “Do you like them? I worked really hard on drawing them, and I think they turned out pretty well.” Myungho was rubbing his palm up and down his arm self-consciously, and Soonyoung reached out to grab it without thinking.

“They’re _beautiful_ , Myungho. They suit you very well.” There was that smile again.

Soonyoung had come to the conclusion that stopping at the flower shop every day wouldn’t be too much of a problem as long as Myungho was working (and smiling).

“Tell you what,” Myungho started, taking Soonyoung’s hand, and pointing it to the peony on his arm. “Today you learned what the meaning of the peony is. How about I tell you one meaning for each day you come in? That way, you’ll be motivated to get your vase.” Soonyoung’s fingers traced over a purple water lily with the word “ _optimism_ ” printed delicately in place of the stem.

“I’d love that.”

 

~

 

          **_Monday_**

     The following day, Soonyoung lets his fingers trace the outline of the baby blue hydrangea, and the stem that reads “ _too much of a good thing can be disastrous_ ”. His fingers glide over Myungho’s skin as he explains the symbolism of the flower:

“The original meaning of the hydrangea is to express heartfelt emotions, or gratitude to someone who understands you very well. The less common symbolism comes from the word itself though. The word ‘hydrangea’ translates roughly to ‘water barrel’, which is a nod towards the flower’s need for plenty of water in order to survive,” A shiver courses through Myungho’s body as Soonyoung continues to lightly touch the flower. Soonyoung looks up to see Myungho focused on his hands, and smiling down at them.

His cheeks are flushed, and Soonyoung has the sudden urge to take one of the sunflowers from a nearby pot and tuck it behind Myungho’s ear.

“Coincidentally, over-watering is usually what kills hydrangeas. It’s what they need most to survive, yet it can also be the cause of their death. That’s why the stem reads, “ _too much of a good thing can be disastrous_ ”. I believe that idea applies to lots of things in life.”

“Such as?”

“Pasta, for example.” Soonyoung bends over the counter in laughter.

“What?” he questions incredulously. That answer caught Soonyoung so off-guard that he's hardly able to catch his breath.

“Pasta! It’s wonderful, but if you eat too much, you'll feel bloated for days afterwards!” Myungho didn't laugh with his whole body the way Soonyoung did, but instead, his expression morphed into something like sunshine.

Once Soonyoung had successfully collected his bearings, he asked the question that had been on his mind since the day before: “Why do you have all these tattoos, Myungho?”

Myungho’s face turned a bit more serious, but the soft smile never left it. “For the members of my family,” he responded. “The water lily is for my grandfather, the evening primrose is for my grandmother, the rose is for my mother, and the chrysanthemum is for my brother. The peony, hydrangea, and sunflower are my favorites.”

Myungho was stroking his tattoos lovingly, and Soonyoung really just wanted to hold his hand.

So he did.

 

~

 

          _**Tuesday**_

     “I can only ask one question each day?” Soonyoung meant it as a question, but it sounded more like an exclamation.

Myungho just smiled and nodded. “You can ask me as many questions as you want, as long as they aren’t related to my tattoos.” Soonyoung crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s not fair.” he pouted. Myungho’s smile widened, and he reached out to poke Soonyoung’s cheek. “You won’t have any reason to come back for the vase if I tell you everything at once!” Myungho explained.

He turned to the table behind the desk that held a coffee maker and a box of muffins, and poured two cups of coffee. “Yes, I would.” Soonyoung mumbled. Myungho stilled for a moment. “Oh, really?” Soonyoung could hear the teasing smile in his voice. “And what might that reason be?” He resumed his pouring, and turned to give Soonyoung his cup.

Soonyoung marveled at the fact that it was only Tuesday, and Myungho already knew exactly how he liked his coffee.

“So, I can avoid my mom’s questions about where her vase is when I get home!” _But also because I really like watching you smile, and that you treat flowers so, so gently, and that your skin is covered in tattoos dedicated to your family, and-_

“Oh, the vase! Our shipment manager called in today, and said they’ll be here on Thursday instead of Friday.” Myungho was still smiling as he sipped his coffee, but something felt wrong to Soonyoung.

“Is everything okay, Myungho?” The other boy sighed and sat his cup down. He wrung his hands together nervously, and something dropped where Soonyoung’s heart should be.

“Do you really only come here to avoid your mom asking questions?”

_Oh, my god. He thought I was serious._

Soonyoung sat his cup down beside of Myungho’s and tried to collect his emotions into one cohesive thought.

“Can I ask you my question for the day?” Myungho nodded, and Soonyoung thought he saw a flicker of something that looked like hope.

“Can I have your number?”

 

~

 

          _**Wednesday**_

     Soonyoung was hopeless. At least, that’s what Mingyu told him at school that afternoon.

“Soonyoung, you’re hopeless and whipped, and honestly, I don’t know how to help you here.” Mingyu had always been that friend that would tell him the truth even if he didn’t want to hear it. He was a very gentle person, but not when it came to the wellbeing of the people he cared about, and Soonyoung admired that about him.

That didn’t mean Mingyu’s painful honesty didn’t bother him, though.

“Mingyu, you’re not helping me,” Soonyoung really wanted to bang his head off the table, but one of the ladies in the cafeteria had already yelled at him for doing that twice this semester. “I need actual advice! What should I do?”

“Well, you really shouldn’t have broken your mom’s vase.”

“You’re the worst best friend I’ve ever had.”

“I’m the only best friend you’ve ever had.”

And, with that, Soonyoung still had no idea what to do now that he had Myungho’s number and not enough courage to text him or something. Eventually, he decided that he would text Myungho during his free period at the end of the day.

 

~

 

Soonyoung did not expect to receive a text from Myungho at 1:36 p.m.

 **Myungho** : **hey soonyoung! i won’t be at work this evening. i have that weird stomach bug that’s going around :( you can text me if you still wanna ask your question! ^-^**

Soonyoung would be lying if he said his heart didn’t flutter a little when he read the text. It persisted as he typed out his reply.

 **Me:** **i hope you feel better soon :( let me know if you need anything! question: which flower did you get first?**

 **Myungho:** **t** **he water lily was my first one! i got it when my grandfather passed away, but i had always planned to get something similar for my entire family :) good question!**  

The two texted on and off for the rest of the day, and Soonyoung quickly found out that Myungho was as gentle outside the flower shop as he was in it.

He sent Soonyoung numerous pictures and videos of his miniature poodle, Eggplant, (of course Myungho would name his dog _Eggplant_ ) running into his room every time he sneezed or coughed, and cuddling up on his chest. Myungho talked a lot about his younger brother, and Soonyoung could immediately tell that he adored the boy. (“He’s my best friend! Even though he’s two years younger, I’ve always considered him my equal.”) Soonyoung also learned that Myungho really enjoys painting, dancing, and, unsurprisingly, flowers.

His favorite color is yellow, and Soonyoung can understand why: it’s bright, joyful, and warm. Just like Myungho.

 

~

 

At 9:56 p.m. that same night, Soonyoung receives another text:

 **Myungho:** **remember how you said to let you know if i need anything?**

**Me: what do you need? **

**Myungho: i don’t wanna bother you or anything.. **

**Me: you’re not bothering me, silly :) **

**Myungho: can you bring me some ice cream? it’s the only thing that isn’t hurting my tummy, but i ate all we had this morning :( **

“Oh, my god he’s so fucking cute.” Soonyoung mumbled to himself. He saved the essay he was typing (all the scholarships he signed up for were finally catching up to him) and grabbed a jacket, shoes, and his keys before yelling, “Mom, I’m going to the store really quick!”

“Be careful! All the mid-week-drunkards are out now!” was the reply he got.

**Me: text me your address! on my way :) **

 

~

 

“Oh, my god. You’re literally my savior, Soonyoung. How did you know I liked strawberry?”

“Lucky guess.”

Myungho’s voice was raspy and deeper than usual, and Soonyoung expected to think that it was gross, but he just found it overwhelmingly attractive. It was in contrast to Myungho’s appearance, however. He was wearing a hoodie that was big enough to fit at least two more people his size in, his sweatpants were hanging low on his hips, and his socks had jellyfish (?) on them. All of that, coupled with the fluffy hair, and the lilac shampoo Myungho always smelled like was a damn _attack_ on Soonyoung’s senses.

“Do you wanna come in? It’s really cold out.” Soonyoung saw Myungho’s shoulders shaking slightly, and reached out to run his hands up and down his arms.

“I would, but it’s getting kind of late, and you should get some rest.” Myungho’s smile was softer than normal; warmer in some way. Despite the cold air, Soonyoung’s skin felt flushed.

“Thank you so much, Soonyoung. I really appreciate it.” Myungho took a step towards him, and wrapped his arms around Soonyoung’s shoulders. Soonyoung stumbled back a bit, but slid his hands over Myungho’s hips and rested them at the small of his back. Myungho was so thin, and Soonyoung hoped he would actually eat the ice cream instead of just sleeping until he was well again like Mingyu did.

Soonyoung felt Myungho’s breath ghost over his neck, and tightened his hold around him. Myungho did the same for a moment, and pulled away. “You need to get home, Soonyoung.” he whispered.

Some part of Soonyoung wished Myungho didn’t want him to leave. Soonyoung nodded.

“Drive safe,” Myungho leaned in, pressed his lips to Soonyoung’s cheek, and let them stay there for a few breaths before pulling away.

“Text me so I know you made it home.”

When Soonyoung drove away, he saw Myungho peeking out a window on the second floor of the house, smiling.

 

~

 

          _**Thursday - Delivery Day**_

     Soonyoung and Myungho sat in comfortable silence, waiting for the delivery truck to arrive at 5:00 p.m.

Myungho was working on a particularly intricate arrangement for a wedding (“Myrtle, Forget-Me-Nots, blue Tulips, and white Roses. This bride is sending a rather bland message, if you ask me.”) while Soonyoung prodded mercilessly at the keys on his laptop.

He had no inspiration to write about how he overcame a difficult circumstance, and Myungho’s hands were too distracting at this point, so he shut his laptop and focused on the flowers weaving together.

Myungho entertained him for a few minutes, but eventually plucked a Tulip from the jar nearby, and handed it to Soonyoung, saying, “Don’t you have something you should be doing?” There was a slight smile on Myungho’s face, and Soonyoung really wanted to kiss him.

“Can I ask my question?” Soonyoung examined the flower in his hands, turning the question over in his head. Myungho nodded and pushed his sleeve farther up his arm just as bells clanked against the door to signal the arrival of a customer. Soonyoung watched a genuine smile take over Myungho’s face at the sight of a stocky young man carrying two small boxes. Myungho rushed over to take one box from the man, who mumbled a “Thank you,” to him.

“I have a delivery of ten white porcelain vases for _Smile Flower_. Are you an employee here?”

“Yes! I can sign for them,” Myungho scribbled his signature onto a pad the man held out, and took the boxes behind the counter.

“Thank you!” he called to the man, who smiled and waved. Myungho pulled a pair of scissors from a drawer underneath the desk, and cut open both boxes. “Want to help me put these on the shelves?” he asked, unwrapping the vases carefully. Soonyoung nodded, and helped Myungho unwrap the vases.

As they were placing them on the shelves, Myungho turned to Soonyoung. “Oh, yeah. What was your question?”

Soonyoung nearly dropped the vase in his hands. All of his confidence from before was gone.

“Do you need to see my tattoos?” Myungho asked. Soonyoung didn’t- he knew what he wanted to ask -but seeing Myungho’s skin always gave him a sense of calm that he’d never felt, so he said yes.

Myungho’s sleeve had fallen down during the transaction with the delivery man, so he pushed it back up again, folded it at the elbow, and held his arm out for Soonyoung.

As usual, Soonyoung reached out immediately and drug his fingers over the vibrant sunflower that reminded him so much of Myungho, the peony and hydrangea that were dear to his heart, the chrysanthemum for his brother who he adored so much, the pastel pink rose that read “ _unconditional love_ ” for his mother, the pale yellow primrose that read “ _be gentle, always_ ”, and the beloved purple water lily with the word “ _optimism_ ” in place of them stem.

“Myungho,” Soonyoung began, eyes never leaving the boy’s inked skin.

“Would you ever get a tattoo for someone who wasn’t part of your family?” Myungho thought about this for a moment before placing his hand over Soonyoung’s.

“Only if that person was very important to me, and would always be by my side. Why do you ask?” Soonyoung laced his fingers through Myungho’s, and finally met the other’s eyes.

“Can I ask another question?”

“Only if it isn’t related to my tattoos.”

“Would you let me always be by your side?” Soonyoung watched Myungho’s eyes well with tears as he smiled.

Soonyoung still believed he was the most beautiful thing to ever grace the earth.

He cupped Myungho’s cheek in his hand and wiped the tears as the fell before he was pulled into Myungho’s tight embrace.

“Of course I would, you idiot.”

 

~

 

          _**Friday**_

     “I’m sorry Mom, but I’m so glad I broke your vase.”

 

~

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! remember that i love constructive criticism, so let me know if you have any ideas on how i could improve! have a wonderful day/night!
> 
> twt: gyuquartz  
> cc: triptyvh
> 
> ~ cj


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